Device for electrically illuminating card cabinets



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J. S. PATTCN lfsigizgw DEVICE FOR ELECTRICALLY ILLUMINATING CARDCABINETS Filed Oct. 1923 WITNESSES IN VEN TOR Qfomv pg TTON -A TTORNEYSPatented Apr. 7, 1925.

UNITED STATES JOHN SHELTON PATTON, 0F UNIVERSITY, VIRGINIA.

DEVICE FOR ELEGTRICALLY ILLUMINATING CARD CABINETS.

Application filed October 4', 1923.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. PA'ITON, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of University, county of Albemarle, and State ofVirginia, have in vented a new and Improved Device for ElectricallyIlluminating Card Cabinets, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to a means for illuminating a card cataloguecabinet or similar cabinet for holding card indexes, card digests, etc,and more particularly the invention relates to an electricalilluminating means contained in the cabinet and adapted to be broughtinto action by pulling out a cabinet drawer or equivalent slidingelement.

The general object of my invention is to provide an efficientilluminating device mounted to move into or out of the cabinet andcomprising an electric lamp included in a lighting circuit which iscontrolled by the movements of the device into and out of the cabinet.

A further object is to provide a lighting assemblage for the indicatedpurpose which may be advantageously associated with a drawer of thecabinet as the lamp-carrying means.

A further object of the invention is to provide efficient lighting meanswhich when the drawer is partially pulled out and the lamp circuitclosed the whole front of the cabinet will be amply illuminated.

The manner and means whereby the above and other objects are attainedwill clearly appear as the description proceeds.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming'a part ofthis 'specification, it being understood that the drawings are merelyillustrative of one example of the invention.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a card cabinet having myilluminating means installed therein;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the drawer equipped with theilluminating means;

Figure- 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through said drawer.

In carrying out my invention in accordance with the illustrated, examplethe cabinet drawer 10 at the center of the top row of drawers in thecabinet 11 is provided with a transverse partition 12 positioned inpractice about seven inches from the front. of

Serial No. 666,553.

the draw-er. ()n the front of said partition is secured a forwardlyfacing lamp socket 13 of any approved construction adapted to receive anelectric lamp 11 so that the lamp will be disposed horizontally orapproximately so in the front portion of the drawer.

Conductor members 15 extend from the lamp socket 13 rearwardly throughthe partition 12 to the back of the latter and the uncovered terminals16 thereof have electrical contact or connection with spring contactmembers 17 which in practice are advantageously stamped from sheetmetal. The contact plates 17 are suitably secured to the drawer 10 atthe upper edge near the rear end as by screws 18, and formed with anarched portion, said arched portion rising above the drawer at the topto or about to the plane of the under surface of the top 21 of thedrawer 10. The rear end of each contact plate 17 is downturn-ed as at 19and said end in the fiexure of said plate 17 will have clearance in anotch 20 in the upper edge of the drawer 10.

Conductor wires 22 are in practice run from the floor for exampleupwardly to the top of the cabinet and are carried along the undersideof said top, the conductors d1viding and the divided ends being securedby screws 23 passed upwardly as binding posts into the cabinet top 21.The heads of the screws 23 are in the path of movement of the contactplates 17 and constitute contacts to be engaged by said contact plates17.

hen the drawer 10 is drawn outwardly it is evident that the lamp circuitwill be closed by engagement of the contact plates 17 with the contactscrews 23 and said circuit will be broken by the movement of the drawertoward the closed position.

The drawer 10 in front of the partition 12 is cut away to skeleton formwhereby to present an opening 24: through the bottom of the drawer 10and side openings 25. Thus, when the drawer is in the outer position andthe lamp circuit closed, the whole front of the cabinet will beilluminated through the openings 24, 25, said openings 25, being at thesides, serving particularly to illuminate the drawers in the top row ateach side of the drawer 10.

On the front of the drawer 10 in the card holder provided thereon isinserted a card 28 hearing the legend Light to indicate that thatparticular drawer contains the lighting means.

To prevent upward glare from the lamp l t I provide an arched shield 26advantageously made of paper which adapted to be placed over said lamp,said shield in practice having cut-outs 2? in the sides thereof toatl'ord ample side illumination while aflording by the ends ol theshield the maximum protection against glare.

I would state in conclusion that while the illustrated exampleconstitutes a practical embodiment of the invention, 1 do not limitmyself strletly to the exact details herein illustrated, since,manifestly, the same can be considerably varied without departure fromthe spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a card index cabinet and with a drawer thereof,oi an electric lamp supported in said drawer at the front portionthereolf, said drawer having an opening in the bottom, and means toclose or break the lamp circuit by the movements of said drawerrespectively to the outer and inner positions.

2. An illuminating means for card cabinets, comprising an electric lampcarried by a drawer ot the cabinet, said drawer ha:- ing openings forthe emission of light rays from the lamp when the drawer is in the outerposition, means to close and break the lamp circuit with the outward andinward movement ol' the drawer, and a shield in said drawer over saidlamp.

3. An illuminating means for aid cabinets comprising an electric lampcarried by a drawer 'ot the cabinet, said drawer having side cut-outs-for the emission of light latorally and having an opening in the bottomthereof so that illumination of the interior of the cabinet and thedrawers thereof will be produced by the rays emanating laterally andvertically from the lamp.

JOHN SHELTON PATTON.

